Eric Holcomb

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Eric Holcomb
File:Eric Holcomb (2021).jpeg
Holcomb in 2021
51st Governor of Indiana
Assumed office
January 9, 2017
Lieutenant Suzanne Crouch
Preceded by Mike Pence
51st Lieutenant Governor of Indiana
In office
March 3, 2016 – January 9, 2017
Governor Mike Pence
Preceded by Sue Ellspermann
Succeeded by Suzanne Crouch
Chair of the Indiana Republican Party
In office
January 3, 2011 – July 22, 2013
Preceded by J. Murray Clark
Succeeded by Tim Berry
Personal details
Born Eric Joseph Holcomb
(1968-05-02) May 2, 1968 (age 56)
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Janet Holcomb
Residence Governor's Residence
Education Hanover College (BA)
Website Government website
Military service
Allegiance United States
Service/branch United States Navy
Years of service 1990–1996

Eric Joseph Holcomb (/ˈhoʊlkəm/ HOHL-kəm;[1] born May 2, 1968)[2] is an American politician who has served since 2017 as the 51st governor of Indiana. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 51st lieutenant governor of Indiana from 2016 to 2017 under Governor Mike Pence, who left the governorship in 2017 to become the vice president of the United States. Holcomb was nominated to fill the remainder of Lieutenant Governor Sue Ellspermann's term after she resigned on March 2, 2016, to become president of Ivy Tech Community College.[3] He won the 2016 election for governor of Indiana over Democratic nominee John R. Gregg. Holcomb was reelected in 2020 over Democratic nominee Woody Myers and Libertarian nominee Donald Rainwater.[4]

Early life and education

Holcomb was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. He graduated from Pike High School in Indianapolis,[5] and in 1990 from Hanover College in Hanover, Indiana. At Hanover, he joined the fraternity Phi Gamma Delta[6] and served as chapter president. Holcomb served in the United States Navy for six years, first at Naval Station Great Lakes and later in Florida and Portugal.[7] He received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters Degree from Trine University on October 5, 2018,[8] an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Anderson University on May 11, 2019,[9] and an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters Degree from Rose-Hulman on May 30, 2020.[10]

Early political career

File:Holcomb Official Headshot.jpg
Holcomb as Lieutenant governor of Indiana, 2016

Holcomb began working for John Hostettler, a member of the United States House of Representatives, in 1997.[11] In 2000, Holcomb ran for the Indiana House of Representatives against John Frenz, but was defeated.[5]

From 2003 to 2011, Holcomb served as an advisor to Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, eventually rising to the role of Deputy Chief of Staff,[12][13][14] and served as campaign manager for Daniels's 2008 gubernatorial campaign. He became Chairman of the Indiana Republican Party in 2011.[15] In 2013, he resigned to become the state chief of staff to U.S. Senator Dan Coats.[16][17] In March 2015 Coats announced that he would not run for reelection to the Senate in the 2016 election, and Holcomb announced his intention to run.[18] In February 2016, Holcomb withdrew from the Senate race.[19][20]

After Lieutenant Governor Sue Ellspermann announced her resignation, Governor Mike Pence chose Holcomb to succeed her and to be his running mate in the 2016 gubernatorial election.[21] Holcomb was sworn in as lieutenant governor on March 3, 2016.[22]

Governor of Indiana

Elections

2016

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Main article: 2016 Indiana gubernatorial election
File:2016 Indiana gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
Results of the 2016 Indiana gubernatorial election; Holcomb won the counties in red.

Governor Mike Pence was running for reelection with Holcomb as his running mate in the spring and summer of 2016. By late June, rumors that Pence would be the Republican Party's nominee for vice president under presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump began to gain traction. In early July, Trump selected Pence as his running mate. Pence then withdrew from Indiana's gubernatorial election and Holcomb withdrew as the nominee for lieutenant governor. Holcomb decided to pursue the nomination for governor and was selected on the second ballot by the Indiana State Republican Central Committee, defeating Rep. Susan Brooks, Rep. Todd Rokita, and State Senator Jim Tomes.[23]

Holcomb chose Indiana State Auditor Suzanne Crouch as his running mate. They faced 2012 Democratic nominee and former Indiana House Speaker John R. Gregg and his running mate, State Representative Christina Hale. After an unprecedented 106-day campaign, Holcomb defeated Gregg, 51.4% to 45.4%. He ran slightly behind the Trump-Pence ticket, which carried Indiana with 56 percent of the vote.

2020

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Main article: 2020 Indiana gubernatorial election

Holcomb was reelected governor in 2020, defeating former state health commissioner Woody Myers with 57% of the vote. He received the most votes for governor in Indiana history.[24]

First term

After winning the election, Holcomb announced his agenda for the upcoming Indiana General Assembly legislative session. What Holcomb calls his “Next Level Agenda” is based on five “pillars”: strengthening and diversifying Indiana's economy, strengthening Indiana's infrastructure, strengthening education and workforce training, strengthening public health and attacking addiction and providing great government service at an exceptional value to taxpayers. He has said that civility is the foundation on which the other pillars are based.[25]

Holcomb's first act as governor was creating the office of drug prevention, treatment and enforcement and tasking that office with tackling the opioid crisis and other addiction issues in Indiana. Additionally, early in his first term, Holcomb pardoned Keith Cooper, who served eight years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of an armed robbery; declared a disaster emergency at the East Chicago Superfund Site; and ended contract discussions between the Indiana Finance Authority and Agile Networks to manage Indiana's communications infrastructure, including cell towers.[26]

File:Lt Gov Holcomb.jpg
Holcomb at a gubernatorial debate

In April 2017, the Indiana legislature approved Holcomb's request for higher fuel taxes and BMV registration fees to fund infrastructure spending, primarily on road maintenance and construction. The law went into effect on July 1, 2017, and is projected to raise on average $1.2 billion per year through 2024.[27]

In the first quarter of 2019, the National Journal reported that Holcomb's reelection faced serious challenges. It ranked him number 10 on its endangered list, writing, "Holcomb is facing potential match-ups with former state health commissioner Woody Myers and state Senator Eddie Melton."[28] By the end of the second quarter, his approval rating had risen to 50%.[29]

In November 2019, the Center for Investigative Reporting reported that Holcomb had personally pressured an Indiana OSHA investigator to drop a worker fatality case against Amazon so that Indianapolis could have a better chance at being the home of Amazon's HQ2 (a major new office). His office denied the allegations, saying that he had not attended the meeting with the OSHA commissioner and investigator.[30] Holcomb also said the accusations against him would pose a threat to Indiana's "positive business climate" and demanded they be retracted.[31] Regardless of whether Holcomb was directly involved, OSHA eventually dropped the citations against Amazon's fulfillment center and the case was reclassified as one of "employee misconduct" rather than a shortfall in training and safety procedures.[30]

In July 2020, Attorney General Curtis Hill accused Holcomb of overstepping his authority by issuing a statewide face mask mandate with criminal penalties. Hill said that only the legislature has the power under the Indiana constitution to create laws.[32] Holcomb vetoed the laws passed in the special session, and the legislature overrode his vetoes. But on June 2, 2022, the Indiana Supreme Court sided with Holcomb. Citing the state constitution, the court found it was the legislature, not Holcomb, that had overstepped its authority. Chief Justice Loretta Rush wrote in the unanimous opinion, "Simply put, absent a constitutional amendment ... the General Assembly cannot do what HEA-1123 permits, ... our Constitution authorizes only the Governor to call a special session, the General Assembly can set additional sessions—but only by fixing their length and frequency in a law passed during a legislative session and presented to the Governor."[33]

Second term

File:Second inauguration of Eric Holcomb, 2021.jpg
Holcomb at his second inauguration

Holcomb was inaugurated to a second term on January 11, 2021.

In March 2022, Holcomb vetoed H.E.A. 1041, a bill passed by the Indiana General Assembly that would prohibit transgender women from participating in state-sanctioned girls' sports. He cited the bill's low probability of surviving judicial scrutiny and the lack of pressing concern as his reasons for vetoing it.[34] On May 24, the General Assembly overrode Holcomb's veto, passing the bill into law.[35] In the spring of 2023, Holcomb signed several anti-LGBTQ+ bills into law, including a bill that bans gender-affirming care for transgender minors,[36] a bill that requires that parents be immediately notified if a transgender student comes out to a teacher and prohibits discussions of "human sexuality" up to grade 3,[37] and a bill that bans gender-affirming surgery for inmates in Indiana Department of Corrections facilities.[38]

Holcomb called a special session shortly before the Supreme Court of the United States overturned Roe v. Wade in order to address tax rebates amid the early 2020s inflation surge. After Roe was overturned, the Indiana General Assembly passed a near-total ban on abortion procedures, allowing exceptions only in the case of rape up to 10 weeks into pregnancy and threat to the mother's life. Holcomb signed the bill, S.B. 1, into law. The ban on abortion procedures was blocked in court shortly after going into effect in September 2022. The Indiana Supreme Court ultimately allowed the ban to take effect in a June 30, 2023 ruling.[39]

File:Gov. Holcomb and Pres. Zelensky.jpg
Holcomb with President Zelenskyy

In August 2022, Holcomb led a trade delegation to Taiwan in an effort to strengthen economic ties between Taiwan and Indiana. The delegation also visited South Korea. The visit came after several high-profile visits by U.S. officials to Taiwan, leading to increased tension between the U.S. and the People's Republic of China.[40] In September 2024, Holcomb visited Ukraine to sign an academic, agricultural, and cultural partnership with the country. He is the first U.S. governor to visit Ukraine since the Russian invasion.[41]

Personal life

Holcomb's wife, Janet, runs a family business in Madison County, Indiana.[42] They have no children, and owned a miniature schnauzer, Henry Holcomb, who was known as the "First Dog of Indiana".[43]

Electoral history

Indiana gubernatorial election, 2016[44]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Eric Holcomb 1,397,396 51.38% +1.89%
Democratic John R. Gregg 1,235,503 45.42% -1.14%
Libertarian Rex Bell 87,025 3.20% -0.75%
Write-in 44 0.00% 0.00%
Total votes 2,719,968 100.00% N/A
Republican hold
Indiana gubernatorial election, 2020[45][46]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Eric Holcomb (incumbent) 1,706,739 56.51% +5.13%
Democratic Woody Myers 968,106 32.05% -13.37%
Libertarian Donald Rainwater 345,569 11.44% +8.24%
Total votes 3,020,414 100.00%
Republican hold

References

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  28. ↑ Bevin, Holcomb seats could switch parties in the upcoming election and in 2020, says National Journal, WHAS-TV, Jeff Burnett, July 25, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  29. ↑ Morning Consult Governor ratings, Morning Consult. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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External links

Party political offices
Preceded by Chair of the Indiana Republican Party
2011–2013		 Succeeded by
Tim Berry
Preceded by Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Indiana
2016 (withdrew)		 Succeeded by
Suzanne Crouch
Preceded by Republican nominee for Governor of Indiana
2016, 2020		 Succeeded by
Mike Braun
Political offices
Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of Indiana
2016–2017		 Succeeded by
Suzanne Crouch
Preceded by Governor of Indiana
2017–present		 Incumbent
United States order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by as Vice President Order of precedence of the United States
Within Indiana		 Succeeded by
Mayor of city
in which event is held
Succeeded by
Otherwise Mike Johnson
as Speaker of the House
Preceded by as Governor of Louisiana Order of precedence of the United States
Outside Indiana		 Succeeded by
Tate Reeves
as Governor of Mississippi

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